decay # 20 ~ if it's not one thing, it's another
Wednesday, April 23, 2008 at 12:43PM 
Light variation of decay # 19 • click to embiggenAs much as I rail against the limitations of the digital capture world of photography, I have come to the conclusion that I am, for all intents and purposes, trapped in that world.
As much as I would like to shoot film, it is, by the very nature of where I live, very impractical - if for no other reason than the closest lab is over 35 miles away. The thought of driving 140 miles for a roll of film - 70 miles round trip x2 (drop off and pick up) - is both logistically and environmentally absurd. Yes, I know I could wait until I had 10 rolls (or more) of film or I could use the US Mail, but, to be perfectly honest, I am too impatient to wait for up to 3-4 weeks to see the results of my picturing.
And even that's a moote point, in as much as that lab is scheduled to shut down within a year. Then what?
The only opinion I can think of is to get back in the business of developing my own film. This is not exactly Mission Impossible but it does require an investment in time, money, and space - space being the most difficult issue. That means isolating and renovating a space - albeit small - that can be made light-tight, virtually dust free, and has water and a drain. With all of the household renovations that have been going on here, the thought of another one leaves me a bit cold.
Althougth, while thinking about a new darkroom (as I write this), there is a new small closet right next to an about to be built new bathroom - all part of our bedroom / upstairs renovation ......
decay
Reader Comments (3)
Mark, I had about the same practical problem. For B&W I wanted to use film and develop it myself, because there was no proper lab around. And yes our appartment was too small for a darkroom. I am using a black sack, which was orginally used for filling 4x5 and 8x10 cassettes, to reel my films into the tank. After that I develop the films in the bathroom. My fims are dried in a special dustfree filmdryer. After processing and drying I scan the films.
I like this kind of working, because it gives me the benefit of both analogue an ditigal working.
Mark, you have my sympathies. As a film hold out, I'm not sure what I will do when my lab stops processing E6 & black & white. Living w/ a well and a septic system, it would be problematic to do my own processing. I certainly hear what you're saying about the time and effort involved to convert a space to light tight, dust free, and with water and a drain. It's the reallocation of time to processing that I'm not too keen on whatsoever.
I would bet if you started using the postal service, it would turn around in a week +, and you'd probably have a constant flow back and forth. By the time material came back to you, you'd have forgotten what it was you sent out, and the wonder and surprise might be that much greater. Doesn't the instantaneous digital feedback decrease from the surprise and pure joy of looking at your pictures?
Film has never been about convenience... Living in a fairly remote area of Norway I've always had to use the mail for film developing. I am used to it, and I actually find it more rewarding getting the images one or two weeks after the shoot. The exitement of opening the box from the lab beats downloading images from a digital camera every time. The real drawback with film as I see it is the risk of exposure errors (no histogram) and the tedious and timely task of scanning it afterwards. But honestly, I only shoot film 1-2 days a month now with the 6x6 system. It's been a couple of years since I used 35mm film.